DANBURY, CONN. — The film “Major ‘Doc’ Brown,” directed and produced by Western Connecticut State University Communication and Media Arts Professor Dr. JC Barone, will be shown from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017, in the Student Center Theater on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. The screening will be free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted for Wounded Warriors. It is one of several events the university will hold to honor veterans during Military Appreciation Week.
Major “Doc” Brown, also known as Albert Brown, was the oldest and last survivor of the Bataan Death March. He passed away in 2011. Originally an Iowa dentist, Brown was drafted in World War II to the dental corps in the Philippines. Brown’s base was surrounded and taken prisoner. What followed was the Bataan Death March, a 65-mile forced march without food or aid of any sort. After three years of being a prisoner of war, Brown was rescued. He endured numerous injuries and diseases such as a broken neck and back, dysentery, dengue fever and malaria. Physicians told him not to expect to live past the age of 50 — Brown died at 105.
Former Department of Theatre Arts Chairman Richard Reimold brought the film idea to Barone after exposure to the book “Forsaken Heroes of the Pacific War: One Man’s True Story,” written based on interviews and personal transcripts from Albert Brown himself. The film was recorded over a five year period with an all-student crew.
Barone said, “I love working with students. Overall, I’d have to say the student team was great — both media production and history students were really good to work with — dedicated, reliable, hard-working and fun.”
Barone has been an active producer, director and editor for more than 20 years. He is a media production professor at WestConn, a member of the Television Academy and recipient of numerous awards including the Communicator Award of Distinction, the Videographer Award of Distinction and five Telly Awards.
The film also has been screened at the Enfield Riot Film Festival in North Carolina. The film festival is a nonprofit entity and is aiming to kick-start a fundraiser event to transform two old theatres and classrooms into a performing arts center for an economically depressed area of North Carolina.
For a complete listing of Military Appreciation Week events, visit www.wcsu.edu/news/2017/10/31/wcsu-honors-veterans-during-military-appreciation-week/. For more information about the film, contact Barone at baronej@wcsu.edu.
Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities.